Dumpster Drivers Can Find Your Personal Information

Heidi Harrison Chain, president of the 112th precinct community council, urges residents to be sure to shred their information and do not put valuable information into the trash. There are people who go around the community and go through other people's garbage.

At this point, there is not a city law that prohibits this behavior and there are people in there community who do this.

Identity theft cases often result in large losses of money, are difficult to prosecute and require an enormous amount of time and energy to rectify. Identity theft involves obtaining another's personal identifying information without their authorization and using it for any unlawful purpose.

Personal identifying information includes name, address, telephone number, driver's license number, social security number, place of employment, employment identification number, mother's maiden name, debit/savings account numbers and credit card numbers.

The Better Business Bureau online has the following warning regarding your trash: "Because people find it hard to believe that anyone would want to pour through garbage cans, they throwaway the darndest things—things like unsolicited credit card applications, old bills, expired credit cards, unused checking account deposit slips and countless other papers. So, for the identity thief. a bit of 'dumpster diving' can provide a rich harvest of personal information—information that can be used to become you."

In many communities, the police team up with local corporations to provide a "free shredding day." Quoting from a drive held last month by the Rocklin, Calif. Police Department: "It is no secret that identity theft is becoming one of the fastest growing crimes in our community and across the entire country … How does identity theft occur? Criminals have found many ways to commit identity theft. Some of the most common methods include removing discarded documents from trash containers."

Other News

Chain and Capt. Christopher Tamola, commanding officer of the 112th Precinct, announced the 11th annual anti-drug essay contest for students in grades four to 12.

Please submit entries by Dec. 1 to the 112th Precinct, 68-40 Austin St., Forest Hills N.Y. 11375.

The contest has the following guidelines: Essays must be 500 words, and must include the writer's name, grade, school and contact information.

The contest is co-sponsored by HSBC Bank; the company will also be providing prizes and judging the contest. The award ceremony will be at the Dec. 17 precinct council meeting.

The precinct council's next meeting, on Nov. 19, will include Rep. Anthony Weiner. In addition, winners of the precinct's art contest will receive their awards, courtesy of Sovereign Bank.